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Summary: I think the title is pretty self explanatory. New cats... to infinity and beyond!
(Author's Notes: The meaning of the title isn't real clear yet, but much will be revealed later on. You can send comments, criticism, etc. to me at briar_rose15@hotmail.com. Thoughts of the characters are in **. In case you're interested, the inspiration for this story came from a stuffed toy cat that I have that looks like the kitten in my story. Enjoy!)
~Chapter 1
~A cardboard box stood silently on the sidewalk, soggy and limp after hours of rain. Someone had written in a childish hand: "Free kitties" on one side of it. A man in a trenchcoat passed by the box and peered inside out of curiosity before hailing a cab. The sight that met his eyes made him shake his head in sorrow. Four lifeless balls of fur lay cuddled together, soaked through and almost certainly dead.After awhile the rain let up getting replaced by an infamous London fog. One furry head slowly peeked up over the sagging edge of the box, her white muzzle barely showing. She shook most of the water from her coat which was coffee colored with dark brown stripes except on her chest and belly where she was white. She weakly nudged her two brothers and one sister. They didn't respond. More nudging and slight nipping of ears. No response. The kitten, as young as she was, understood what had happened. Crying silent kitten tears, she slowly climbed over and out of the box landing promptly in a puddle.Trudging slowly away from the wet grave the tiny kitten wandered aimlessly throughout the whole night. Eventually she became so tired and numb that she just collapsed in an alley. She missed her brothers and sister, and her mother. "Mama..." she cried sadly. The memory came without bidding and full of pain.Her earliest memory were only feelings, the warm roughness of Mama's tongue, the plaintive mewing of her siblings. Love and acceptance was her world, a world that left all too quickly. She had been nursing contentedly when her mother stiffened, "Kittens?" came a loud angry voice. It was the male human, one of Mama's pets. "She had kittens?" Mama licked her and her siblings comfortingly. "NO, Rachel. I won't have it. One was enough, but five? Absolutely not, the kittens have got to go." The kitten's eyes weren't open yet so she could not see the humans, and she didn't fully understand what they were saying so she went back to her nursing. "But John..." this was the female human. "John, they're so young. Wait until they're weaned at least." Silence. "Okay. But then they go to the pound."Later the kitten questioned her mother as she was trying to put them to sleep. "What's the pound, Mama?" Her mother licked her. "It's a ....place where...other cats and dogs go when...a human doesn't want you anymore." The kitten knew that this was bad but her young mind just put it aside and out of her concern. The next couple of weeks were a blur of excitement. Her eyes and the eyes of her brothers and sisters had opened. They spent endless days exploring and playing with their newfound abilities. The kitten nearly forgot about the angry words of the human.All too soon the fateful day arrived. They had been out in the garden pouncing on one another and insects, practicing their hunting skills. Mama was laying contentedly off to the side watching her children play and trying to come up with suitable names for them. She knew that they would not be with her soon and she wanted to give them something that would be with them forever. Her gift to them. A door slammed and one of her pets stormed out. "Rachel, they have got to go! We cannot afford more mouths to feed." He had a large cardboard box in one hand. "No! Not yet! They don't have names!" cried Mama. But to the human they only sounded like distressed meows. John hesitated for the first time, then shook his head. "Sorry, Duchess. Your kids can't stay here anymore." With that he reached down and grabbed each kitten by the scruff of their neck and dropped them in the box.Confused and frightened when they couldn't see their mother, the kittens desperately clawed at the sides of the box. "Mama? Mama!" they cried. "Be strong!" they heard her mew, "I love you all!" That was the last any of them would hear her. The human named John put the box in the back seat of his car and headed for the pound.The pound was an assault on all of their senses. The strange and different scents of the other animals, the coldness of the cage that they were tossed into, and the shouts of the animals as they came into the room. "Is it a human?" "No just some runt cats." "Mama! Where are you?" "Humph! My humans would never have stood for this kind of treatment!" They had never been beyond their home with the humans and had never seen another cat or dog before. Most of the animals ignored them, only an old cat beside them looked on them with kindness."Hello young ones. What are your names?" the old cat's brown eyes shined with kindness. The oldest of the kittens, a male with dark brown stripes, spoke up. "We haven't any names sir." The old cat looked distressed. "No names? Surely your mother named you." The kittens looked at each other, the calico sister spoke up. "She had been thinking of names, sir, when her pet took us here." The old cat shook his head sadly. "Well, then. I'll tell you my name. I'm known as Old Deuteronomy. If you kittens don't mind, I'd like to name you. But I'll have to think on it. A cat needs a name that's particular, peculiar, and more dignified." The youngest of the litter, the sister with dark brown stripes over a coffee colored coat, started to cry. "I miss Mama."Old Deuteronomy tried to comfort them as best as he could and they eventually fell asleep curled up next to each other
~Chapter 2~The next morning they found a dish of water and dry tasteless cat food in a bowl inside their cage. The oldest kitten felt it was his duty to protect his siblings even though he was eldest only by a couple of minutes. He carefully sniffed the water and nibbled the food, it seemed safe enough. He woke them and they ate. "Good morning," said Old Deuteronomy. The kittens mewed a hello back. A door opened at the far side of the cage-room. "...so sorry, Father. If I'd known he was your cat..." The veterinarian's voice came before they saw them. Two humans stepped into the room, the vet and an aging man in all black except for a patch of white on his collar. The old human smiled. "It's quite all right, he's really not my cat though. He really belongs to the whole city. He just stops by the vicarage whenever he feels like it. I've grown a bit fond of the old cat. I'm glad he's safe." Old Deuteronomy suddenly brightened and meowed loudly at the approaching human. "Ah, there you are Deuteronomy. Yes I'm glad to see you too." The vet scratched his head. "Deuteronomy? Where'd ya get a name like that? No offense intended, Father." The old human chuckled and rubbed Old Deuteronomy behind the ears. "Well it's a strange thing. I was out in the graveyard reading my daily scripture in the book of Deuteronomy when this cat jumped out of a tree and onto the Word of God. I must say it gave me quite a start. But he comes around once in a while so I decided to give him a name, he doesn't seem to object."The kittens watched in sadness as their feline friend was carried away. "Goodbye young ones. I hope to meet you again." He said as the vet closed the door behind them. The kittens stayed a few more days in the pound without anything interesting happening until the day their freedom came. A young man in tattered jeans and stringy hair came in and peered in each cage. Coming to them his bloodshot eyes lit up and he called to the vet. " 'ey, Mister! 'ow much for these kitten's 'ere?" The vet named a price and the man bit his lip but nodded. Soon they were once again in a cardboard box in the back of a car that badly needed a new muffler.The next place they came to was a grimy looking building with boards covering the windows. The young man took them inside and practically slammed the box down on top of a desk, rattling the four kittens inside. They could not see above the walls of their makeshift prison but the sounds and smells were enough to inform them that this was a bad place to be. Whimpers of pain came from every direction, sounds that would echo in the kitten's ears forever. A callused, scarred hand reached in and pulled out the younger brother, who had orange splotches over his white body. The young man looked proud of himself. " 'ere ya are, doc. Cats, just like ya said." The human called "doc" scowled and dropped the shivering kitten back in the box."I said cats you dolt! Not kittens! I need adults that will stay alive at least one day so I can record the effect of the drug!" Doc picked the box and shoved it back into the arms of the young man. "Take them back." The young man frowned. "But I can't!" he protested. "The bloke at the pound said all sales are final!" Doc shrugged. "That's not my problem." The young man looked indignant. "Wot am I supposed to do wit' 'em?" Doc shrugged again, indifferent. "You can drown them for all I care. Put them on the sidewalk in the box. Either they die or they live. It's out of my hands. Now go! You still have to get me some adults." Grumbling and muttering some choice words under his breath, the young man got back in the car. Digging around in the glove compartment he produced a marker and carefully wrote on the side of the box in a half-literate scrawl, "Free Kitties." Then he sped out of the bad part of town into the middle-class part of town and dumped the box on a street corner.All this was remembered by the youngest kitten sister in her dream. She slowly got up from the filthy alley street and started to walk again. At one point she came across another cat. His coat was a matted, dingy gray and he stumbled as he walked. "Oh, we ain't got a barrel of," Hiccup. "money!" Hiccup. The kitten hid under a newspaper and watched in fascination. " 'ey, barkeeper! Give me another one o' those." He slurred. The kitten slightly recalled an instance similar to this that had happened to the human John. Her mother had called it "drunk", and had warned them not to get near him. If this cat was "drunk" then she had better not show herself. He passed her teetering on his feet and singing to himself. "O Tannenbaum!" Hiccup and stumble. "O Tannenbaum! How ugly are yore...uh...yore leaves!" Yawning she decided to stay under the newspaper and fell asleep.~Chapter 3~The next day dawned bright and clear. The kitten stretched and hearing her stomach complain, went in search of breakfast. It occurred to her that she did not know where her meal would come from. The only meals she had ever eaten were from Mama or from a dish. Going out onto the sidewalk was a bad idea as she soon found out. Large careless humans were everywhere, and not watching where they were going. After almost getting stepped on five times she fled back into the relative safety of the alley. Smells from the back of restaurants teased her nose and she followed the scent of fish around the corner. A pile of fish scraps lay on the ground where someone had missed trying to throw them in a trash can. But she wasn't the only cat who smelled the fish. At least a dozen cats swarmed around the morsels of fish, growling and hissing at one another. The kitten watched, a bit frightened but went up anyway. Maybe she could get a nibble, she was so hungry. A large paw swatted her back. "Get outta here runt! This ain't your meal!" growled a large tom whose coat was so dirty and matted that it hardly had color any more."I'm ss-sorry. I just wanted a bite." A queen whose coat was similar to that of the toms' laughed shrilly. "Eh! A bite she says! Yeah right, give the little urchin a bite and she'll wont the 'ole fish!" Another tom gave her a kind look. "Here kid you can have my share...after I'm done with it!" he chortled with glee. " 'ere now. That's no way to speak to a lady." The queen snorted. "Hah! And wot would you know about speakin to a lady?" the tabby who had spoken twitched his whiskers. "More than you obviously." Grabbing a bite of fish the tabby streaked off. "You come back 'ere! You bloody, blinking..." she yelled running after him. The alley cats finished their meal and went their separate ways. Not even a mouthful was left for the hungry tired kitten.Not knowing what else to do, she walked on. Several times she errently crossed into a tom's territory. The first time she got knocked flat against a wall, stunning her for a moment before she ran off with her tail between her legs. Others threw trash or growled menacingly at her. After one of those episodes where she nearly missed getting hit by a bottle, a dog looked up from a fire hydrant and teeth bared started to chase her. She ran and ran, but still the dog kept up with her. It was her tiny size that eventually saved her. After a fearsome chase across the street the dog was momentarily stopped by a blaring horn. The kitten saw her chance and took it, racing across yards until she reached a brick wall. Trying to catch her breath she heard the dog bark close behind her. Scrambling frantically along the wall she headed for some bushes right next to them to hide. But instead she found a surprise that spared her life. A small hole in the bottom of the wall was partially hidden by the bushes. Quickly slithering through it she landed in a puddle but saw a patch of grass off to the side where she might catch her breath. She was so tired, *Maybe* she thought, *if I rest for just a moment...* It had been awhile since she had felt grass underneath her paws and she sank down into blissful, dreamless sleep.~Chapter 4~"The poor dear. Just look at her. She can't be more than a month old." The voice echoed around in her head and started her brain into consciousness. "She's so thin,...it's not right. A kitten her age should be eating everyday, they grow a lot at that age." Gradually she fought the sleep like trying to find her way out from under a blanket. "Oh, look she's waking up." Opening her eyes the kitten found herself staring straight at two cats. One a skinny black Bombay with a shredded ear and a peculiar scar on one side of his face, the other just as thin but she was a Siamese. The kitten squeezed her eyes shut and stiffened her small body for the painful swat that would send her flying out of their territory.It didn't come. Slowly she opened one eye. They still sat there, as if waiting for her. "Y-you're not going to hurt me?" she whispered, it had been so long since the kind cat at the pound she almost forgot that cats could be nice. The Siamese looked horrified. "Hurt you? Oh dear me! Of course not, we just wanted to know if you were quite all right." The black cat didn't add anything but nodded. The kitten was confused. "Well, if you're not going to hurt me, then what do you want?" The Siamese looked over at the black cat who made a motion as if eating. She nodded. "Would you care to join us for a meal? Heaviside knows you look like you could use one." The kitten looked from one cat to the next, both of whom smiled gently. Overcome by their kindness she just nodded and followed them."By the by, My name is Ashrella. And my mate's name is Fiddlesticks. You may call me Ella." The kitten nodded, "Pleased to meet you ma'am, sir." Ella beamed as if pleased at her good manners. The black cat called Fiddlesticks, walked with a pronounced limp that didn't allow him to step very far. They stopped at a small country house that had chipped paint and rusty hinges. Ella trotted up to the door and meowed loudly, after a moment the door opened and an old woman in tattered clothing and bun in her gray hair peered out through her spectacles.Laughing in delight she scooped up Ella and scratched her fondly behind the ears. "Hello Lenore, time for supper, eh?" Glancing up she saw Fiddlesticks and the kitten waiting silently. "Hello Edgar. You're looking well. Who's that you got with you?" The old woman came forward and Fiddlesticks nudged her forward. The woman picked her up gently and took her into the house with the other cats close behind.Setting her down on the cracked tile floor the woman went about getting some water and heating it up on the stove. "Widow is going to give you a bath, so be nice and don't scratch!" whispered Ella in her ear right before 'Widow' picked her up again and put her carefully into the warm water. Immediately the kitten started to purr, making Widow laugh. "So I'm not the only one who enjoys a nice hot bath." Too soon Widow got her out and set her on the floor where Ella satisfied her maternal instincts by cleaning the kitten further with her tongue. Widow put two bowls of milk down and more milk in a saucer for the kitten who lapped it up eagerly.Later Ella and Fiddlesticks laid down on a much used towel. Ella invited her in and the kitten curled up gratefully next to them. Widow stroked them each briefly before looking at the kitten thoughtfully. "I'm not sure if you'll stay here long, little one, but if you have no objection I'd like to call you Madeline after my daughter." So the nameless kitten was no longer without an identity, she had a name."Oh dear me! I'm so rude! I never thought to ask your real name my dear." Lamented Ella. "Real name? The only name I have now is... Madeline." She said savoring the feel of it on her tongue, her very own name. Fiddlesticks cocked his head, Ella frowned. "No name? Your mother didn't name you?" Then her eyes widened. "Do you even know your mother?" Madeline the kitten told them both that had transpired to get her there. When she was telling her the part about the old cat named Old Deuteronomy Ella's whiskers twitched and Fiddlestick's eyes got sad. "You said something about a real name, what do you mean by that?""Well...All cats, dear, have three names. First there's the name that the family use daily; if you're a house cat then it's the name that your humans give you, if not then what your feline family gives you. Next a fancier name, a name that's unique to you and has a special meaning; most cats get these on their own or from their parents." Then her eyes got very far away as she told Madeline of the last name, as if she was reciting something learned long ago."But above and beyond there's still one name left overAnd that is the name that you will never guessThe name that no human research can discoverBut the cat himself knows and will never confessWhen you notice a cat in profound meditationThe reason, I tell you, is always the sameHis mind is engaged in rapt contemplationOf the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name His ineffable, effable, effanineffableDeep and inscrutable singular nameName, name, name, name, name, name."Ella's voice slid down to a whisper as the last lines were spoken. After she was done, she visibly shook herself and set her attention back to the tiny kitten Madeline. "I have one of those names, so does Fiddlesticks. It's something I will never confess." Her mouth turned up into a wry smile. "Fiddlesticks can't confess his. Even if he wanted to." She lovingly swatted his tail and his eyes glittered with an unseen grin. "Why not?" asked Madeline, she had been wondering all night why this seemingly nice cat had spoken not a word to her since she had arrived. Ella sighed and closed her eyes. "It's a sad story....I'll tell you but you must stay quiet while I'm talking. I'll answer questions after I'm done.""When Fiddle and I were younger we were Jellicles..." Madeline wondered what a Jellicle was but Ella explained soon enough. They had been in the Jellicle tribe for awhile living together as mates when one day Fiddle suddenly disappeared for no reason. The whole tribe searched day and night for him but to no avail. A week after his sudden disappearance he showed up again at the edge of the Jellicle border. He was all right physically and reassured everyone that he had merely gotten lost because a human child had picked him up. Ella, however, had not been convinced and got the truth out of him during the night. He had been catnapped by Firefrorefiddle, a villainous cat who hated Jellicles and humans. Firefrorefiddle was convinced that Fiddlesticks was a magical cat, because supposedly all black cats are magical. Unfortunately for Fiddle it turned out that he did have some small talent. Firefrorefiddle used this to his advantage and threatened Fiddle that if he didn't work for him then he would kill Ella and her unborn kitten. Of course, Fiddle had no intention of placing his mate and kitten in trouble so he complied with the villain's wishes. The Jellicle tribe found out too soon and banned him as a traitor, Ella went with him though she didn't have to. He had run out in shame before she could catch up, and was run over by some careless human on a bicycle. Widow found them and nursed Fiddle back to health even though he still has the limp and voice box damage."What happened to your kitten?" asked Madeline softly. Ella wiped a tear from her eye. "I miscarried it. All the stress in those days, perhaps, that hurt it." Ella nuzzled Fiddle sadly. Madeline, only a month old kitten that had aged beyond her years, felt that she could do something to make them feel better. Madeline rubbed her head against her leg."Ella?...Can I call you Mama? And Fiddle, can I call you Papa?" Immediately she was covered with loving licks and purrs. Madeline giggled. "I'll take that as a yes?"~Chapter 5~Life with Ella, Fiddlesticks, and their human Widow was good. Food wasn't always plentiful, but Madeline soon filled out enough so that her ribs could no longer be counted. Winter was on the way and Ella worried about what might have happened to Madeline if she had not found them. One day when she was about a month and a half old Madeline observed Widow going over some papers with a worried frown creasing her kind face. "Oh, my. How will I ever pay...?" she whispered in a voice that for some reason was growing raspy. Coughing shook the old woman's frame until she was bent over. Madeline also saw her new parents exchange worried looks when they thought she wasn't looking. Nothing transpired of this strange activity until a couple of days before Madeline was to turn two months old. She had been out playing in the snow, chasing snowflakes when she began to feel strange. Going back inside she told Ella. "Mama...I don't feel good...I'm so c-cc-cold." Ella took her immediately to the rug in front of the fire and went to speak to Fiddle."Darling, I know that you haven't used your magic since it happened but could you possibly heal her?" Fiddle thought for a moment and slowly shook his head. With a charred stick he wrote on the floor: "Magic cannot be used for healing." After she had read it he rubbed it out silently with tears in his eyes. The next morning Madeline didn't feel any better and Widow didn't seem to notice. She had gotten in bed and not gotten out for a long time. Ella was cleaning Madeline when Fiddle thumped the floor with his paw. She looked over and he motioned her to Widow's side. Giving him a questioning look, she came over. Fiddle inhaled deeply, and Ella did the same. Then she smelled it, the stench of death was newly on their human.Ella was very worried indeed. Yes, she mourned the death of a kind and gentle human but what of their survival? She and Fiddle were old cats and soon the Heaviside would claim them both leaving little Madeline alone in the world. Fiddle knew this as well. And they both watched the sleeping bundle of fur whose chest rose unevenly with wheezing. "What are we going to do?" whispered Ella, "she'll die before we do if she stays like this." Fiddle took another charred stick from the dying embers. "I think we both know." He wrote and looked deep into her eyes. "No..."she whispered but in her heart she knew that it must be. There was one place where she might be cared for and given proper treatment; the Jellicle tribe.The next day Ella carefully wrapped up Madeline in a bit of cloth and carried it like a sack in her mouth. Fiddle went ahead of her to see if any thing might slow them down. Nothing must because now time was precious. Madeline had not woken up but stayed in a fitful fever induced slumber. They stealthily made their way to the junkyard and gently put the little bundle in the middle of the clearing. The wind was bit stronger here but she had a better chance of being seen. Fiddle and Ella both nuzzled her and licked her for the last time, and crying silently they went and hid so they could watch and make sure she was found. Luck was with them, a calico queen came out, shivered and was about to leave when she spotted the bundle.Fiddle nudged Ella, and giving one last look they left.to be continued...
(Author's Notes: To all of you who have read this far, THANK YOU!!! Remember I am still taking comments, critizism, etc. at briar_rose15@hotmail.com Oh, and also, the first part of my story ends on the night of the Jellicle Ball of the movie.)
~*Part II*~Chapter 6~( one year later)
Madeline sat straight and tense, tail whipping about excitedly. Tonight
at the Jellicle Ball, she would become an adult. A pair of paws came up
behind her and covered her eyes. "Guess who, Blue Eyes? And no fair
smelling." Madeline grinned and threw out some names. "Pouncival?" She
heard a snort. "Munkustrap?" "Hah! That’s rich! But no." Madeline
pretended to think really hard. "I don’t know, I give up!" She was
turned around whiskers to whiskers with Rum Tum Tugger. He pouted. "Hey
no fair!" Madeline laughed. "Aren’t you a little old to be flirting with
a one year old?"
Tugger looked indignant, "I’m only two and a half. Besides, who says I’m
flirting?" Madeline laughed again and shoved him playfully. "Isn’t that
Bomba I hear calling you?" Tugger looked over fearfully and nodded
sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess I’d better be going. See ya around Blue
Eyes." Before her admittance into adulthood came a part of the Jellicle
Ball that she couldn’t join. It was the Dance of Jellicle Mates. Each
year a queen and her chosen mate would dance a solo together and then
all the other couples would join them in celebration. Madeline vaguely
remembered her first ball when Victoria had danced with Plato, but they
had only been temporary mates. A Life-mate vow was the strongest of all
and could never be broken even after death.
There were a lot of mates and life-mates this year. As well as a couple
of new kittens. Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer had their one month old
tom, Knockabout, who was busy trying to steal his mother’s pearls.
Munkustrap had a new light in his eyes as he looked at his life-mate
Demeter who was in her last days of pregnancy. Jennyanydots and
Skimbleshanks were proudly dancing for their five month old kitten,
Thimblethumbs.
Then a sudden hush fell over the collected cats. Mistoffelees and
Victoria were dancing; dancing their life-mate vows to each other .
Alonzo shyly offered Cassandra his paw which she accepted with an
equally shy smile. Madeline sighed, *So many couples. Everyone but the
kittens have someone to dance with.* Jemima and Pouncival came whirling
by, Tumblebrutus and Electra weren’t far behind. Etcetera had grown up a
little and no longer chased after Tugger when she had met a new Jellicle
named Tomfoolery. Exotica was talking quietly with her tom, Balderdash.
Suddenly a dirty smelly cloth was pressed up to face, covering her mouth
and nose. Darkness overcame her so quickly that she didn’t even have
time to scream.~Chapter 7~
When she awakened she sat straight up and immediately regretted it. Her
head started pounding like a Pollicle had been barking in her ear for an
hour. "Ohhhh…" she groaned. "Where am I?" She was in a pet carrier that
had a scratchy rug beneath her. Trying to ignore the throbbing pain in
her head, she examined her surroundings as best as she could from inside
the cage. There wasn’t much, she was in a dark room that smelled musty.
Madeline laughed as she figured out what must have happened. "Okay
Tugger, nice joke. You really had me going." Nothing. "You’ve had your
fun, now let me out." She got no answer, no stifled giggle reached her
ears. She swallowed, maybe it wasn’t Tugger. "Pouncival?" Silence.
"Vicki? Jemi? Anyone?" Then she thought she heard something.
"Hello? Is anyone out there? Come on! Let me out!" she yelled,
unsuccessfully trying not to panic. "The game’s up! I want out!" She
rattled the door of the carrier, hoping it would jar loose. A deep,
humorless chuckle reached her ears. Madeline flattened her ears to her
head. She was furious. Whoever was playing this bad excuse for a joke
would pay. "Let. Me. Out. NOW!" she growled. The laughing stopped
abruptly and golden eyes glowed at her before a tall thin shadow emerged
from the farthest corner of the room.
* Macavity?!?!* Why would Macavity want her? How much time had passed?
*Will I ever see my friends again?* These questions and more flooded her
mind as the infamous Hidden Paw strode towards the pet carrier. With a
scowl he sat down gracefully and stared straight into her eyes.
Inwardly Madeline cringed but she managed to stare straight back. After
a couple of minutes the ginger tom spoke. "You’re not supposed to be
here." It was low but had a resonating quality that Madeline suspected
he used to hypnotize others. She snorted. "I could have told you that."
He growled once showing his fangs, leapt up and started pacing in front
of the cage.
"Why are you here?" he shouted. Madeline was confused. "Why don’t you
tell me, O Napoleon of Crime." Immediately she cringed, but he barely
seemed to notice her insult. "I told them what she looked like, but they
bring back you!"
"You mean…." She whispered. "That you didn’t come for me specifically?"
He whirled and stared at her again with those remarkable golden eyes as
he sneered. "Of course not. Why would I want a scrawny little runt like
you?" Madeline bit her lip but in her mind pieced together the puzzle.
The last time Macavity had shown himself was at her very first Jellicle
Ball when he tried to catnap Demeter. She had heard rumors that Dem had
had "dealings" with Macavity before she was a Jellicle. Madeline’s eyes
widened in the darkness of her cage as she figured out what happened.
Macavity must have sent his hench-rats to take Demeter, and given them a
description of her to help them find her. But why had they gotten her?
Then she remembered that Dem was pregnant so she didn’t look like what
Macavity would have described to his hench-rats.
Macavity had gone back to pacing. Softly she spoke up. "Did you tell
them to look for a slim queen?" He looked annoyed. "Of course I did.
She’s not fat!" At that Madeline cracked a grin. "Yes she is! She’s due
to have kittens any day now." He spun around so fast that she thought he
might fall over. "WHAT?" he screeched. Madeline cowered down, cursing
herself for mentioning it. "Look at me!" She didn’t move. "Look. At. Me.
Now." His voice was deadly quiet, she looked up. "By my do-gooder
brother?" He spat out. Madeline stared at him blankly. "Munkustrap," he
added through clenched teeth. Madeline, too scared to do anything but
stare, didn’t move. He saw the answer in her eyes though.
His eyes narrowed. "This changes everything. What am I going to do with
you?" he hissed to himself. Abruptly he turned and headed towards a cat
door. Madeline finally found her voice. "Hey! What about me?" His back
stiffened but Madeline got the feeling as he spoke that it was mostly to
himself. "I will have my revenge, one way or another. Eventually they
will come looking for you, and then my plan will be complete."
Eventually she curled up, scared and bewildered, and cried herself to sleep.
~Chapter 8~
"Hey, Strife! Look over here! It’s a queen!" The voice of the tom jarred
Madeline awake but she stayed curled up hoping they would leave. She
heard a disbelieving laugh. "You’ve been in the catnip again, ‘aven’t
ya, Khafre?"
"No, really! It’s a queen. Come see for yourself." After a moment she
heard a sharp intake of breath. "Blimy! Wonder who she is?" The voice
got closer. "Maybe we should get out of here, Strife," said a suddenly
nervous sounding Khafre, "What if she belongs to …Macavity?"
A derisive snort was his answer. "Not likely," said the tom called
Strife. " ‘E’s only ‘ad one queen and that ‘un wos one o’ dem
human-loving Jellicles!"
"Still, we shouldn’t be in here. What if he comes back and sees us?"
Khafre’s voice trembled at the mere thought. "You worry too much," said
Strife dismissivly. " ‘ey! I bet she’s a gift! Yeah, that’s it! I bet me
whiskers she’s a gift to Macavity’s best tom!"
Madeline stiffened as she heard Khafre gasp. "What are you doing?" he
hissed. She heard the door of the cage make a soft click. "Noffink’. I’m
just gonna get to know ‘er a little." Madeline tensed her muscles and
when she heard the door open she leaped out. Hearing a startled curse
she ran blindly towards where she had seen Macavity disappear to.
She didn’t get far, however, because of the small matter of Macavity
being in her line of escape. She managed to skid to a stop right before
hitting his legs, but before she could run again he hissed and grabbing
her by the scruff of her neck carried her back the way she had just
come. Madeline was momentarily shocked out of fear. She was tall and
slim like most queens her age but if she had stood side by side with
Macavity on their back legs, she would reach his upper chest. And here
he was carrying her like she weighed no more than a kitten.
He’d barely taken a few steps when two toms who must have been Strife
and Khafre shot out of the door of her prison room. The one she assumed
that was Khafre was a Siamese and looked like he was about to faint. The
other tom, Strife, was a dark coated Abyssinian who also looked nervous
but collected. "Who wants to explain?" asked Macavity in a deadly growl.
"Well, uh, ya see sir…" stuttered Strife, "We, um, wos walkin along when
we ‘eard this noise, like. We went to investigate," here Strife pointed
an accusing paw at the dangling Madeline. "It wos ‘er! We peeked in and
she went crazy! Next thing we know she’s runnin’ out the door." Macavity
scowled and Strife no longer looked confident.
"Even if that were true," he hissed, then with surprising speed reached
out and grabbed Strife by the throat. Madeline made a mental note never
to arm wrestle Macavity, he now had two full size cats in his grip and
wasn’t showing any signs of being tired. "You had no business going in
there anyway." Both of the toms gulped fearfully. "I dropped her
breakfast down the corridor. You can go pick it up and get two more new
cans." With a sneer he dropped Strife.
They raced away and Macavity put her down and sat in front of the only
exit watching her warily. She ran to the wall farthest away from him and
cleaned the spot where his paw had been holding her. "What is your
name?" he asked as if he were talking with a roach. Madeline gave him an
icy stare, her tail lashed about wildly displaying her aggravation.
"That’s for me to know and you to wonder about," she hissed.
Macavity gave a condescending smile as if waiting out a temper tantrum.
"If you don’t tell me, then I guess I’ll have to make up one for you."
"Madeline," she snarled, mad about losing this contest of wills. The
ginger tom lazily scratched his chin with a claw. "Hmmm. Not your
average Jellicle name." Madeline lifted her head proudly. "It’s my name
because I’ve earned it."
At that moment Strife and Khafre entered with the cans of cat food.
Macavity snarled at them and they left hurriedly. Then he opened one
with a razor sharp claw and slid it over on the floor to her. She backed
away from it as if it might bite her. Macavity was already eating his
share contentedly. He frowned when he saw her ignore the food. "Well?
What are you waiting for? Eat already!"
"I’ll eat nothing that’s come from you!" she hissed arching her back.
She knew she had no chance of getting by him. That demonstration of
amazing strength was enough to convince her not to try escaping when she
was alone with him. The ginger tom growled menacingly and before she
could blink he had thrown her back into the pet carrier. "If you won’t
eat now, then you won’t eat at all!" He started to pick up her can of
food but stopped and a slow evil grin spread over his face. He carefully
set it in front of the cage so that she could smell it’s enticing odor
but could never reach through the door of the cage to get it. With a
evil chuckle he slipped out the cat door. "Enjoy your meal!"
Madeline hadn’t eaten since before the Ball. She had been so nervous,
that was the night she was to become an official adult. Now her stomach
ached with the sight of the food so near. Hours later she was almost
dizzy from the smell and her hunger. *Stop it!* she told herself firmly,
*Pull yourself together. Think of something else, don’t think about
food.* It worked for awhile, she counted the air holes in the pet
carrier, stared at a piece of floating fuzz for about a half hour,
groomed herself thoroughly and thought of home. She should be rescued
very soon now, at the latest any day. She remembered when Tugger had
"rescued" Bomba from a yappy little pollicle that was barely bigger than
a two month old kitten. She almost felt sorry for the thing, it looked
so pitiful when it ran off tail between its legs. That got her laughing
but the laughter soon turned to tears and for the second time she cried
herself to sleep.~Chapter 9~
Over the next few days Madeline refused to eat. She grew weaker but did
not relent even to Macavity’s wild tantrums where he would shout at her
relentlessly until he could scream no more.
"You think starving yourself is going to help you?" he raved at her when
she had turned down a meal on the third day. Still, she refused. Any day
now, she kept telling herself.
On the fifth day Madeline didn’t get up when Macavity came in with
breakfast. He growled, but she didn’t respond. He went over and kicked
the cage. It rocked but nothing came from inside. Curious, Macavity
peeked in, sighed with annoyance and pulled her out. She was unconscious
and was so thin that she looked like she was about to break. Something
flashed in his eyes, concern? No, he dismissed it. She was a key to
getting his revenge, if she didn’t survive then it went down in
shambles. Yes that’s it, he told himself.
Gently prying open her jaws he went about dropping a bit of the cat food
in. Not too much or it would come right back up. He did this each day
until her eyes finally opened. She didn’t say anything only backed away
from him. He pushed the can of cat food towards her with a triumphant
grin and left. She ate in silence. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Madeline was still scared but she was confused as well. Why had Macavity
fed her back to health?. She was certain that it had something to do
with why she was here. Certain that soon her Jellicle family would come
to find her, she didn’t lose hope after a week of imprisonment. After
the second week she felt a slight worry creep upon her. After a month
she was resigned to whatever fate Macavity had in store for her.
Only under his strict supervision was she allowed to roam his lair, and
only certain rooms. She had grown extremely lazy and bored so much that
she worried that she might turn into a queen Bustopher Jones. Also she
fell into a deep depression that Macavity seemed annoyed at. One day
after he had come barging in like he usually did, she didn’t acknowledge
his presence. He scowled and after some inner struggle took her to the
what he called the "gym." In that room she finally found something to
keep her mind off her imprisonment, and keep her in shape also. She also
practiced her Jellicle dancing in the gym when Macavity left her alone,
and wished that Victoria could see her move so gracefully.
She didn’t always practice in the gym. Macavity was painstakingly
teaching her how to move without being heard, how to avoid the stray
animal catchers that lurked about the alleys, how to get down a tree
without needing help. He taught her many things and she knew that he
meant to use her in some devious scheme that he had planned. This
frightened her but she knew that if she were to ever escape then she
would need all the skills she knew. The only thing he didn’t teach her
was lock picking.~Chapter 10~
It had been two months now, two risings of the Jellicle moon since she
had been taken from the junkyard. Madeline no longer feared Macavity’s
outbursts which were loud but quick. The other toms of his gang leered
at her when she passed but never laid a paw on her, she was protected
from a higher power. The rats pretty much ignored her which suited her
just fine.
Macavity no longer treated her as a thing and sometimes she thought she
actually enjoyed his company! He was the closest thing she had to a
companion there, and once the strange thought crossed her mind that she
missed him when he was gone. Macavity was a very interesting cat, he
told her tales of countless times when he had outwitted humans and
pollicles. He was smart too, once she had caught him doing long division
on a piece of cardboard, she herself barely knew how to add!
Madeline waited daily for something that would break this monotonous
toll of life that she was living. And something did. Upon waking one
morning near the end of the second month Madeline felt strange. A raw,
gnawing pit was growing inside her, waiting and needing to be filled.
She knew what caused it and was afraid. Her season was upon her, the
curse that happened several times a year in which a queen could have
kittens. Madeline had come into season before, but always in the
Jellicle junkyard. Where no tom would ever think of listening to his
hormones and taking advantage of a queen that didn’t want him.
Madeline huddled in the back of her pet carrier, shivering. She didn’t
know what to do, a queen in season was as noticeable as the full
Jellicle moon, and here she was in a den of dirty toms that she didn’t
even dare look straight in the eye. Once they found her it was over.
Macavity found her still huddled and shivering when he delivered
breakfast. At once he sensed what was wrong, and a worried frown creased
his forehead. Abruptly he opened the cage door and bade her come out.
Madeline just stared at him with wide blue eyes. A little more gently
her coaxed her out and promised that his intentions were honorable. Not
really knowing why, she shakily climbed out and he gently took her paw
and led her through the shadows to a room she had never been to before.
Not saying a word he rapped lightly with his claws and a high voice came
from within. "Come in!" Macavity shoved her through, "You’ll stay here
now," he muttered and left. Madeline found herself staring at a large
white Persian, languidly stretched out on a velvet pillow.
"Hello, dearie. I’m Griddlebone, what’s your name?," she purred.
Madeline told her dazedly and asked why she had been brought here. The
white Persian smiled. "You’re in season aren’t you?" Madeline nodded, a
little embarrassed. "Well, there you have it. Macavity knows that queens
have their problems. He also knows that that mob he calls a gang would
take advantage of a queen in season like a flea to a rat. So he sends
them here. Now you can wait out ‘The Curse’ in privacy. You won’t be
bothered here, no one but the Hidden Paw himself knows about this room."
So Madeline waited, Griddlebone soon became her friend and confidant.
They were the only queens in the whole lair. They often had long talks
where Madeline would vent her frustration about not knowing what to
expect from Macavity in her imprisonment. Griddlebone always listened
with a patient ear and often gave good advice to the younger queen. The
room she now shared with the white queen was larger than the room with
the pet carrier. She also had a pillow now, not that awful rug.
Near the ceiling there was a small window and Madeline realized with a
start that she had not been outside since she had been taken. Starving
for sunlight she eagerly awaited for its warmth to cascade through the
small window and take away the dark depression that inflicted her
spirit. Sometimes she stayed up so late just to watch the moon that she
barely slept. Griddlebone quickly became irritated at this behavior and
told Macavity about it when Madeline had finally fallen into an
exhausted slumber.
"You have got to let her out, Mac," she whispered using his old
nickname, "You can’t keep her locked up, she’ll die from lack of
exposure, lack of sunlight." Macavity grumbled but knew she was right,
so the next morning just before dawn he woke Madeline up and took her to
the top of the roof. He warned her that if she tried to escape he would
put her back in the pet carrier. Which was unnecessary, the lair was a
large abandoned warehouse high above the ground and not close to any
other buildings. He also strictly forbade her from coming up without his
supervision.
At first Macavity only watched her with a wary eye, suspicious at her
every move. He never had to drag her back down, as soon as she was done
she would take a deep breath and with a peaceful look on her face would
walk over to the roof entrance.
They also went up at night, Madeline would point out constellations and
make up silly stories about them, making even Macavity chuckle in
amusement. Other times she would just sit and bask in the light of the
full moon. As they sat on the roof looking at the stars one night
Madeline whispered something.
"What was that?" he asked not hearing her. She blinked and averted her
face. "Nothing. It’s just that I missed old Gus going to the Heaviside
this year." Her mouth turned up in a small sad smile. "After Grizabella
left that was the only thing he wanted to do. Join his love in the stars."
Macavity couldn’t breathe. *Mama? Papa?* said a small voice inside of
him, sounding very much like a kitten’s cry. He found his voice and as
nonchalantly as he could questioned Madeline. "So, um, you mean that old
Glamour Cat went up?" She nodded gazing at the twinkling pinpoints above
them. "Last year at my first Jellicle Ball," her voice got soft, "I was
little but I remember the exact moment right before the Heaviside took
her. Her face was…was radiant! So happy and full of life! I’ll never forget it."
Macavity squirmed, he had to ask. "So they’re together now? Grizabella
and Gus? In the Heaviside? You’re sure?" Madeline looked him straight in
the eye and saw what he needed to know. Hesitantly she took his paw.
"Yes," she whispered gently, "I’m positive."~Chapter 11~
One night, about a week after that night when she had told him of
Grizabella and Gus, he discovered that she was not with Griddlebone, nor
was she in the gym. Macavity growled, knowing only one place she would
go. Running lightly but quickly up the steps he planned her punishment
once he found her. All thoughts of discipline, however, faded when he
saw her. She was dancing, he recognized it from his kittenhood as moves
from the Jellicle Ball. It was not even close to the next Jellicle Ball
he knew but yet she was singing and dancing with a grace that would be
the envy of any cat. "Moonlight, turn your face to the moonlight.
Let your memory lead you, open up enter inIf you find there the meaning of what
happiness is, then a new life will begin."
The last notes of her song drifted out into the night and as she held
her pose her fur was illuminated by the moonlight. Macavity’s heart
lurched and with a stifled gasp thoughts tumbled into his head. *By
Bastet! She’s beautiful!* The more he looked at her the more beautiful
she seemed; her soft blue eyes that twinkled like the stars; her merry
laugh that he rarely heard, the way she cocked her head at him when he
lost his temper, the way she held his paw that night, and the moon that
illuminated her tears. Wait a minute, tears? Yes, she was still in the
last pose of her dance and the tears were flowing freely down her face.
Macavity was torn, he knew that he was the cause of her suffering but to
end it he would have to return her. No! He couldn’t! He wanted to do
something for her, make her smile again. Suddenly he knew what to do and
he silently creeped down the stairs to the roof so she wouldn’t know he
had been there.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Griddlebone sat silently watching her young friend pick at her breakfast
with limp ears. Delicately licking her whiskers of the last crumbs of
her meal she went over to Madeline and sat beside her. "Want to tell me
what’s wrong?" she asked quietly. When she didn’t answer Griddlebone
tried again. "Did Macavity hurt your feelings or something? If he did
I’ll personally slap him so hard that his meow will fall off!" Madeline
looked up and Griddlebone was startled to see tears glistening in her
eyes. "I miss my Jellicle family," she said simply. Griddlebone sighed
and tried to comfort the young queen. "I know it’s hard dear, but you’ll
see them again soon. I’m sure of it."
Madeline averted her face. At that moment Macavity rapped lightly at
their door. "Come in," sighed Griddlebone. Macavity strode over to where
Madeline was and placed a bit of cardboard and a broken pencil in front
of her. "I thought…" he began a slight tremor in his voice, "that you
might want to write your family. To tell them you are all right."
Griddlebone smiled, she wished she’d thought of that.
Madeline just stared at the pencil and a big tear drop fell on the
cardboard. "What is it?" asked the ginger tom nervously. Griddlebone
cocked an eyebrow. The Napoleon of Crime, nervous? Madeline swiped at
her eyes with the back of her paw. "I can’t write very well," she
admitted tearfully. Macavity looked relieved. "I’ll write it for you,
just tell me what to write." Madeline looked up for the first time, a
ray of hope in her eyes. "Really?" she whispered, "You’d do that for me?"
Griddlebone stayed in the background unnoticed as Madeline spoke and
Macavity wrote. There was something about those two…She couldn’t put her
paw on it. When they finished Macavity got up and told her that he would
have his fastest rat leave it at the junkyard. Madeline also stood and
on tiptoe she shyly nuzzled his cheek in gratitude. Macavity’s eyes got
as big as the moon and he stumbled out muttering something about the
importance of promptness.
Griddlebone stepped up beside Madeline and stared her in the eye. "You
like him, don’t you," she stated, it was not a question. Madeline’s nose
turned pink and suddenly found the floor very interesting. Finally she
nodded. "I’m so confused though! Ever since I became a Jellicle I’ve
heard of the evil deeds of Macavity; Macavity rifled the jewel case!
Macavity stifled a Peke! Over and over, and yet…and yet the longer I’m
with him the more I’m convinced that he’s a good cat. He’s never hurt
me, he’s fed me back to health, he was thoughtful during my season, and
just other little things that I’ve noticed." She dropped to the floor
clutching her head. "I don’t know what to do," she whispered.
Griddlebone knelt down beside her. "Are you in love with him?" she asked
softly. Madeline raised her head and her blue eyes got wide. "In
…l-love?" she stuttered, "Y-yes," she declared finally and then with
more conviction. "Yes I am in love with him. But how does he feel about
me?" Griddlebone smiled and squeezed the younger queen’s paw tightly. "
I’m convinced that he feels the same way. Love changes everything, and
everyone. I’ve noticed it on him. He’s not so picky, so given to
tantrums, and the last criminal act he performed was taking you!"
"Just be careful," warned Griddlebone, "Macavity may look tough and
rough, but he’s as fragile as a newborn kitten. You break his heart and
he’ll never recover."
<i>Authors Notes: I still haven't gotten a lot of feedback on this
story. If it's because you're afraid to hurt my feelings go ahead! I
can take it. briar_rose15@hotmail.com Oh, and i know perhaps some ppl
would object to the way certain characters are displayed but this is
how i think they would act in the given situation IMHO. Thanks for reading.</i>
<b>Part III~Chapter 12~</b>
Madeline’s feelings on Macavity confused her so that to clear her
head she took to walking the corridors of the lair at night. She’d
walk aimlessly up and down the hallways, her only companion the sound
of her footsteps. She didn’t fear the other toms of the gang, they
rarely came to this side of the lair because Macavity’s room was on
this side. One night that all changed.
She had been walking as usual and had come upon a dead end, upon
turning around she saw a big tom blocking her way. It was Strife. She
hadn’t seen him since the first days of her capture. He reeked of
catnip, Madeline suspected he’d had so much he didn’t even know that
he had crossed into Macavity’s side of the lair. She snarled at him.
Staring at her he began to walk forward.
"Hiya kitten, what’sa matta?" he slurred. Madeline began to get
nervous, he was getting closer and his bulk made a fast escape
impossible. "Get away from me!" she hissed, hackles raised. "S’okay
kitten. I just wanna get to know ya a wittle," he said eyes glazing
over. Then with surprising speed he grabbed her arm, and when she
swiped at him, grabbed her other arm and pressed her against the
wall. Madeline growled and tried to bite him.
"Oooo. Feisty ain’t sha? I like ‘em fiery." His claws were digging
into her arms and she knew they must be bleeding. Still, she
struggled. "Let me go!" she yelled and then with a deep breath
screamed with all her might. Strife flattened his ears and with one
swipe knocked her to the floor in a crumpled heap. She felt rather
than saw him come closer in for the kill. Then he was gone.
Looking up she saw Macavity, claws unsheathed and eyes burning red,
hold Strife up by his neck. "I would kill you right now," he growled,
"but you don’t even deserve that honor. You had better run when I set
you down because if you don’t then I will kill you! Never show your
flea-bitten hide around here again or you will deeply regret it."
Strife was dropped and he ran faster then she had ever seen a cat
move. Macavity took a deep breath, sheathed his claws, and turned to
her. "Are you all right?"
Trembling she stumbled over to his arms and cried on his chest. At
first he stiffened in surprise but then he held her and stroked the
fur on her head. They sat like that for a long time, then Macavity
gently took her arm and cleaned the small wounds there. When he was
done he reluctantly stood up. "Come, I will escort you back." They
walked in silence, neither acknowledging what had passed between
them. At the door she took his paw and nuzzled it. They stared into
each others eyes for a moment then he was gone.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
At that moment Munkustrap finally received the flimsy piece of
cardboard with Madeline’s message on it. The tribe had been in low
spirits ever since Madeline had disappeared. They had suspected
Macavity right away, but when they went to his old lair it was
deserted. Pouncival had come running in yelling about the message and
now practically the whole tribe turned out to hear what it said.
Munkustrap stood on top of the tire and unsuccessfully tried to get
the crowd to settle down. "QUIET!" yelled Tugger.
That got everyone’s attention. Munku nodded a thanks in his
direction. Tugger hadn’t been his usual flirtatious self since
Madeline had disappeared. She was like a little sister to him and he
felt like it was his fault that Macavity got her. Bomba tried to
comfort him and held his paw which he took tightly. Munku skimmed
over the message. "It says she’s all right and has not been harmed,"
he announced, "But with the Hidden Paw we can never be certain." He
gestured to two identical cats below him. "Cori, Tanto? Do you think
you could sense anything from this?"
In answer the twins climbed up and sat down. After sniffing the
message they each placed one paw on it and the other touching the
opposite sibling’s paw. After a tense moment they opened their eyes
in unison. "She is safe," they announced.~Chapter 13~
Griddlebone fussed and fretted over the claw marks, and with a human
bandage wrapped them up. "Get some rest, you’ve had a busy night,"
Griddlebone said settling down herself. Madeline, however, could not
get to sleep even with Griddlebone’s rhythmic purring that usually
calmed her. Getting up, she slowly made her way to his room.
Sneaking in, she walked over to his cat basket and quietly snuggled
up beside him. "I couldn’t sleep either," he whispered pulling her
closer. Madeline had never felt so safe and secure as she was right
now. "Tell me about yourself," he said shifting slightly.
"Only if you tell me about yourself after I’m done," she bargained
nuzzling his chin. "I’m not called the Mystery Cat for nothing," he
said jokingly but one look at her face which was totally serious he assented.
So she told him her story from her earliest memory to the night of
the Jellicle Ball that she had been taken at. When she cried he
licked her tears away. After she was done she poked him gently in the
ribs. "Now it’s your turn."
He sighed. "I was born to Grizabella and Gus. The middle brother in a
litter of three toms, Munkustrap, Rum Tum Tugger, and me…" He had a
good life with his family. Then one day barely a week after he was
weaned he was taken from his Jellicle family. The cat who had taken
him called himself Firefrorefiddle the Fiend of the Fell. That wasn’t
his real name, he had just taken it from an old legend. Anyway, the
older cat raised the younger Macavity as his heir. Teaching him by
any means possible to hate humans and Jellicles. "You might say he
beat it into me," Macavity said dryly. Then when the old cat died
Macavity took his place. It wasn’t long after that he became
infatuated with a black and yellow queen, Demeter. He became obsessed
and kidnapped her only to have her rescued by Munkustrap her true
love. From then on he tried to get Demeter back any way he could, and
torment Munkustrap in the process.
"Now I want nothing more than to be with you, Madeline. You’ve
changed me. I hardly ever lose my temper any more, I haven’t looted a
larder since before you were here, I haven’t rifled a jewel case for
longer than I can remember! I even sent all my hench-rats and hench-
toms away yesterday. You make me want to be a better cat," Then he
took her paw and kissed it softly. She smiled at him and tried to
hold back a yawn.
"Go to sleep," he said and curling his ginger body more comfortably
around hers they slept.~Chapter 14~
Madeline was awakened the next morning by a strange sound. It sounded
like a motor, then she smiled as she realized what it was. Macavity
was purring. It was the first time she had ever heard that sound from
him. Purring herself she went back to sleep.
Griddlebone, meanwhile, had woken up to find Madeline gone. Groaning,
she quickly set out to find her before Macavity got up. On her way to
the roof, however, she heard a rumbling coming from his room. Peeking
in she saw a heap of ginger and brown fur purring loudly. Smiling to
herself, Griddlebone went back to her room.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Stretching mightily, Macavity disentangled himself from the warm
presence of Madeline and hopped up on the window sill. Sunlight
streamed in through the glass, warming him. Macavity felt better than
he had in a long time, and glancing at the sleeping form of Madeline
he knew that she was the cause. He felt a stirring in his heart that
excited him, he loved her. This wasn’t the mad obsession that he had
had with Demeter, this was the real thing. Jumping back down he went
over to her and licked her nose.
"Mmmm…? Tugger, stop it. Go play with Bomba" she mumbled turning
over. Macavity’s grin faded. What was thinking? He couldn’t keep her
here. She missed her family. He had to ask her, then he licked the
back of her neck. "Okay…okay. I’m up. Stop the torture." She
muttered, blinking slowly.
When she saw Macavity, she smiled and licked his cheek. "Morning."
When he didn’t smile back, Madeline frowned. "What’s wrong?" He
turned his head away from her. "Are you …happy here?" he asked quietly.
Madeline sat silently, was she happy? Sure she missed the Jellicles
but she didn’t want to lose Macavity. "Yes I am happy here with you,"
she replied coming up to nuzzle his chin. He didn’t respond to her
nuzzle. "But you miss the Jellicles," he stated sadly. "Well, yes, I
miss them. But Macavity…I love you," there that got an reaction. He
turned to her finally with hope in his amber eyes.
"Truly?" he breathed. When she nodded he nuzzled her. "I..I love you
too." They sat for a moment lost in the tidal wave of new feelings.
Then Macavity suddenly pulled back. Hurt, Madeline tried to hold back
tears at his rejection. Seeing this he tried to reassure her. "I
still love you. I have no doubt that I always will. To make sure of
your feelings I ..I am letting you go back to the junkyard. I give
you the rest of this day plus two more, if you don’t come back, then
I’ll know that you didn’t love me and you’ll never hear of me again."
Tears streamed down her face as Madeline tried to object but Macavity
turned away from her and spoke in a shaky voice.
"Go now, before I change my mind. But to help you remember me, here."
With trembling paws he took off his spiky leather collar and gently
clasped it around her neck. "Now leave," he said, with one last lick
Madeline left.
Running down the alleys conflicting emotions swirled around inside
her. Elation, sorrow, fear, happiness. At the corner she would go
around to get into the junkyard, Madeline stopped and groomed
herself. She smelled like Macavity, and no doubt Demeter would have a
fit. Finally she took a deep breath to settle her nerves and walked
in calmly like she had never left.
A group of cats sat in the middle of the junkyard. Tugger, Misto,
Vicki, Munku, Bomba, Pouncival, and some others. They all looked
depressed. Walking up silently she sat beside Tugger. "So guys,
what’s up?" Tugger turned to her with a dull expression on his face
and turned away. Snapping his head back for a double take he picked
her up and whirled her around.
"She’s back! Hey everyone Madeline’s back!" He finally set her down
looking embarrassed. Immediately she was covered in head rubs. Tears
stung her eyes as she realized how much she had missed her family.
"Come on back up! Give her some air. She’s had a hard time," Tugger
intervened and looking guilty they all stepped away.
"I missed you guys so much!" she whispered and gave a friendly nuzzle
to everyone. Mistoffelees pointed his paws in the air and fireworks
shot out. Munkustrap stepped forward. "I know you’ve just gotten back
but would you mind answering some questions? We’ve been wondering
what happened to you." Tugger led her to the tire and Munku called
all the cats out to hear her. While Munku was doing that, Tugger
noticed the collar on her neck. "Hey, where’d you get this?" Madeline
reached up and touched the collar sadly. "I’ll explain later."
~*Chapter 15*~
Later that night Madeline sat and stared at the Jellicle moon. She
wondered if Macavity was looking up at the same one. She couldn’t
sleep, and had gone out to the clearing in the middle of the junkyard
to sort out her thoughts. She had been questioned thoroughly about
her capture and where she had been. She had reluctantly admitted that
Macavity had taken her but stressing that he had not harmed her.
Munku had wanted to ask more questions but Jellylorum had intervened
saying that she needed rest.
She fingered the collar around her neck, she knew that she had to
tell them. How would they react? What if they banished her? A tall,
lanky form sat beside her. Without using her nose she knew it was
Tugger. He was like a brother to her. "I know you didn’t tell Munk
something. Want to tell me?"
Madeline sighed and before she knew it, her mouth was open and words
were coming out. She told him of everything that had happened to her.
From the moment she awoke in the pet carrier to the moment Macavity
released her. "The point is Tug," she said using her kittenhood
nickname for him, "I love him and he loves me. I just don’t know how
to tell everyone that. Say the name ‘Macavity’ and everyone has a hairball!"
He sat silent for a moment. "Well, whatever happens I’m right with
you." Tugger smiled and leapt off heading for the box that he shared with Bomba.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next morning Madeline went over to Munkustrap. "I need to talk to
Old Deuteronomy and the Jellicle Council." The smile on the silver
tom’s face faded when she said that. The Jellicle Council was for
serious matters only. He blinked and nodded slowly. "I’ll get them
together, we’ll meet you at the vicarage wall."
When she got there some of the Council were already waiting. The
Council was made up of the elders of the tribe, Munku, Jellylorum,
Jennyanydots, Skimbleshanks, and some others. With Old Deuteronomy
smiling encouragingly Madeline began her story. When she was done she
looked silently over the adults seeing many emotions register on
their faces. Munku looked, if it was possible under his fur, pale and
his tail was lashing about angrily. Jenny looked confused, Jelly
looked disgusted. Old Deuteronomy was the only cat who looked on her
with kindness.
"What would you have us do? Now that you’ve told us," growled Munku.
Madeline lifted her chin. "I would like to bring him back to the
tribe." Several gasps followed her pronouncement. Munku scowled but
she hurried on before he could stop her. "He’s changed. He is not the
criminal you once knew. Macavity misses the tribe, please give him a chance."
"Absolutely not!" shouted Munkustrap. Old Deuteronomy frowned.
"Munk--" he began but to everyone’s surprise he cut the old leader
off and spoke through clenched teeth to Madeline. "That cat," he
spat, "is not ever allowed back here. He made his choice a long time
ago. Furthermore, you are not to associate with him ever again!" With
that he strode from the vicarage leaving a trembling Madeline in his
furious wake.~*Chapter 16*~
Madeline once again sat and stared at the Jellicle moon. Tomorrow,
the third day, she would go back to her love. She knew that
Munkustrap had forbidden her from going but she listened only to her
heart. She would leave in the early morning when everyone was still asleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When Madeline awoke something was terribly wrong. She was tied up,
someone had hooked a chain to Macavity’s collar and tied the end
around the bumper of an old Ford in a remote corner of the junkyard.
She yanked and it didn’t budge. "No... please." She moaned pulling desperately.
"You’re not leaving," came a cold voice from the dark. She turned to
see Munkustrap walking towards her with a steely glint in his eyes.
"Please, I must go!" she pleaded, "he’s waiting for me!" But he
seemed deaf to her cries as he simply turned and walked away. She
screamed after him till her throat was raw, but he didn’t come back
or answer her.Turning her attention to the chain she pulled and scratched at it
till her claws were bleeding. Still the chain didn’t move. Madeline
finally fell to the ground soaking it with her tears.
Awakening from a sleep she didn’t remember falling into, Madeline
heard the soft tinkling of the chain and was startled to see that the
sun was nearly set. Had she slept that long? Was Macavity still
waiting for her? Tugger put a paw to her mouth and continued working
on the chain. The young queen watched, holding her breath until
finally it fell away.
She sprang up, embraced Tugger around the neck and leapt off to find
her love. She only hoped that it wasn’t too late.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Follow her trail," ordered a furious Munkustrap some time later just
finding out that she was gone. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Madeline was nearly there, all she had to do was go down this street
and around the corner. She was so concentrated on getting to her goal
that she didn’t notice the three sinister shadows step out of an
alley behind her. Two more stepped in front of her right at the
beginning of the street. Madeline gasped and stopped.
One the cat-shaped shadows chuckled. "Well, well, well. Long time no
see, kitten." Madeline flattened her ears to her head. It was Strife.
" ’ey fellas, this ‘ere is the queen that got os fired." The other
four shadows growled menacingly and soon Madeline had the strange
thought that her blood was awfully red against the street.~*Chapter 17*~
Macavity looked forlornly at the setting sun. With it went his hope.
He didn’t feel anger only a deep sadness. Madeline truly hadn’t loved
him. He was a cat of his word and he had told her that she would
never hear from him again. Walking on legs that felt heavier than
stone the ginger tom made his way to the front entrance of the lair.
He knew that only a block away there was a dog pound, perhaps the
pain of death would equal the pain in his heart.
Crawling slowly out the cat door Macavity stumbled on something.
Something bloody, with coffee colored fur covered with dark brown
strips. "Madeline..." he whispered and knelt down to her. Her
pristine white muzzle was now bright red with her blood. She was
bleeding so much that he couldn’t tell where the wounds were. A trail
of blood lay behind her, she had dragged herself here. He gently
stroked her cheek and her eyelids fluttered.
"Mac... I... tried... sorry..." Her voice was raspy and blood
trickled down a crack in the side of her mouth. "Shhhh…" he said
desperately, "You’re going to be okay now. We’re together that’s all
that matters." She tried to smile and her eyes fluttered close again,
her chest rising unevenly and infrequently. Frantically Macavity
began cleaning her wounds. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The search party stopped at the puddle of blood. "Alonzo, what do you
smell?" Alonzo had one of the best noses in the group and he sniffed
at the puddle and around it. Alonzo shook his head sadly. "It was
her," he announced. Munku growled, "Macavity! He probably beat her to
death and--" Alonzo cut him off.
"No, I smell different cats. Five I think. Most likely mangy alley
trash, but I don’t smell Macavity." Munk closed his mouth and stood silently.
"Look!" pointed Mistoffelees. A red trail of blood went on up the
street and around the corner. When they got around the corner they
all stopped in astonishment. Madeline lay in a bloody heap in
Macavity’s lap. The large ginger tom was crying. "Don’t leave me...
please.." he sobbed.
Tugger stepped forward and knelt down beside the Hidden Paw, his
brother. "What happened?" he asked in a gentle voice uncharacteristic of him.
Macavity closed his eyes, not seeming to notice Tugger or any of the
other toms. Finally after a long silence he spoke. "I was coming out.
Ma--Madeline had told me that she would come back. I-- I tripped over
her and I cleaned her wounds. I didn’t do it, by the Everlasting Cat
you must believe I would never hurt her!" Again he broke down and
sobbed stroking Madeline’s cheek with his paw. Tugger gestured to Misto.
Misto nodded and came over. Sitting down, closing his eyes, the magic
cat spread his paws over the still form of the young queen. When he
was done Misto opened his eyes. He shook his head sadly. "It doesn’t
look good. She’s somewhere between life and death right now. Only
Madeline can decide whether she stays or leaves."~*Chapter 18*~
Madeline felt strange. She was in a dense fog, much like one from
London but it wasn’t damp. "Hello?" she asked. Her voice felt strange
and echo like. Suddenly she heard sounds of other cats. She turned
and saw a window through the fog which revealed several cats playing,
talking, and laughing. A kitten looked over and seemed to beckon to
her. Madeline smiled, they looked so happy! Wasn’t there some reason
she shouldn’t be going? She slowly started forward keeping her eyes
on the friendly little kitten.
Then a new sound invaded the fog. "Madeline..." It whispered, this
voice made her turn around as if pulling her back. She saw another
window in the fog. It was Macavity. She gasped, remembering. He
looked so sad, another cat entered the window. Tugger! What was he
doing there? He was saying something. Macavity glanced up and nodded.
Then she heard it again and the pull was stronger. "Please come back..."
Madeline glanced over and saw the kitten still beckoning to her. She
turned back, Macavity was crying. *What do I do?*
"Follow your heart..." Madeline turned to the source of the words.
Behind the kitten in the first window was her mother. Two more cats
stood beside her, Fiddlesticks and Ella. They looked so happy and
Madeline knew what she had to do.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Madeline had stopped bleeding. Macavity picked up her still limp body
and hugged it tenderly to his chest. Suddenly she stiffened and
hugged Macavity back. Fresh tears ran down both their cheeks and even
a few of the watching Jellicles had moist eyes. Madeline finally
pulled back and taking his paws in hers, led him over to Munkustrap.
Munku, as always, stood straight and kept his face indifferent.
Macavity hesitated but stuck out his paw. In the tense pause that
followed Munku took Macavity’s paw and pulled the rest of him
forward. The reunited brothers embraced briefly but fiercely. "Let’s
go home," whispered Munku in a throaty voice.
Macavity picked up Madeline and together they all went, every one a
Jellicle back to the junkyard. A new life has begun.
---^---^--{@ The End @}--^---^---